Apple's 3D Maps and Imagery See Incremental Improvements

Following last week's open letter from Tim Cook in which he promised that Apple "will keep working non-stop" until the iOS 6 Maps app meets customers' standards for quality, Apple has indeed been making improvements to the service. While there is certainly a ways to go, it is clear that the company is indeed moving quickly to address issues and improve coverage for the flagship 3D mapping and imagery features in the app.

While improvements have been ongoing, MacRumors forum members yesterday began noticing what appears to be a larger set of additions to the 3D content in the Maps app, including both the satellite/aerial imagery and the standard maps. One region that was among the first to be noticed was the New York City area, with a number of improvements including new 3D imagery of the Statue of Liberty being seen.

statue of liberty flyover
Old (left) and new (right) Flyover images of the Statue of Liberty

We've also heard from users who have experienced new Flyover imagery showing up in Honolulu, Hawaii and in the San Fernando Valley in the Los Angeles area. The changes are also affecting the standard vector-based maps as well, with users reporting new 3D buildings showing up in New York City and London.

Interestingly, not all users are seeing the new imagery, with some even doing side-by-side comparisons between devices with different results. The difference is presumably due to aggressive caching of maps and imagery, and users who are not yet seeing the new imagery should see updates in the relatively near future.

Top Rated Comments

monaarts Avatar
151 months ago
As I have been saying since before Maps was even announced... (If they do announce the app), it will take some time for it to become better than Google Maps. Thanks for the continuous improvements. :apple:
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mono1980 Avatar
151 months ago
As much as I think this whole Maps thing is ridiculously overblown, it is pretty insane that Apple didn't have major national landmarks rendering correctly at launch...
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sishaw Avatar
151 months ago
This is not what they need to be working on first...

This is just bells and whistles, Apple needs to fix the incorrect locations and missing POIs first.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mnemonix Avatar
151 months ago
So the Statue of Liberty is rendered slightly better and the rest of the world still looks like this:



This is not an improvement, this is fiddling while Rome burns.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cyks Avatar
151 months ago
Fixing the 3D maps and adding additional POI is all fine and dandy, but I'd rather they tackle the wrong streets and addresses.

It's an inconvenience if I were to search for a store and it didn't show up, but I could still open Safari, do a web search, and find out it's physical address.

It's a serious problem when that address takes me to the wrong spot.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
appleguy123 Avatar
151 months ago
As I have been saying since before Maps was even announced... (If they do announce the app), it will take some time for it to become better than Google Maps. Thanks for the continuous improvements. :apple:

If only Apple had an entire year left in which they could use Google map tiles while developing their own solution... :rolleyes:
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

ipad pro 2022

Apple Event Rumors: iPad Pro With M4 Chip and New Apple Pencil With Haptic Feedback

Sunday April 28, 2024 6:19 am PDT by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman outlined some of the new products he expects Apple to announce at its "Let Loose" event on May 7. First, Gurman now believes there is a "strong possibility" that the upcoming iPad Pro models will be equipped with Apple's next-generation M4 chip, rather than the M3 chip that debuted in the MacBook Pro and iMac six months ago. He said a ...
apple id account

Apple ID Accounts Logging Out Users and Requiring Password Reset

Saturday April 27, 2024 12:41 am PDT by
There are widespread reports of Apple users being locked out of their Apple ID overnight for no apparent reason, requiring a password reset before they can log in again. Users say the sudden inexplicable Apple ID sign-out is occurring across multiple devices. When they attempt to sign in again they are locked out of their account and asked to reset their password in order to regain access. ...
iOS 18 General Notes Feature 2

iOS 18 Rumored to 'Overhaul' Notes, Mail, Photos, and Fitness Apps

Sunday April 28, 2024 6:44 am PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said that iOS 18 will "overhaul" many of Apple's built-in apps, including Notes, Mail, Photos, and Fitness. Gurman did not reveal any specific new features planned for these apps. It was previously rumored that the Notes app will gain support for displaying more math equations, and a built-in option to record voice memos, but this is the first time we have...
iOS 18 Siri Integrated Feature

iOS 18 Rumored to Add These 10 New Features to Your iPhone

Wednesday April 24, 2024 2:05 pm PDT by
Apple is set to unveil iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, so the software update is a little over six weeks away from being announced. Below, we recap rumored features and changes planned for the iPhone with iOS 18. iOS 18 will reportedly be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, with new ChatGPT-inspired generative AI features, a more customizable Home Screen, and much more....
top stories 27apr2024

Top Stories: Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event With New iPads and More Expected

Saturday April 27, 2024 6:00 am PDT by
New iPads are coming, and Apple is holding a virtual event to introduce them! While it appears likely to be a relatively short video event, we should be seeing new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, some new accessories, and perhaps some additional surprises. Other Apple news and rumors this week included word that Apple is FINALLY planning to introduce a native Calculator app for the iPad later...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: Apple's iPad Event Finally Announced!

Friday April 26, 2024 8:31 am PDT by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss the announcement of Apple's upcoming "Let loose" event, where the company is widely expected to announce new iPad models and accessories. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Apple's event invite shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Apple CEO Tim...